Rehab
by VintageValentino
Summary: Stephanie is stuck in a rut in her job and shaken by her inability to do anything but wait to be rescued in the story "Revenge" so asks Ranger for help but he passes. He's hiding something, but what?
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing**

Personally, Stephanie's life couldn't be going better. She'd finally connected with the person who she was rapidly coming to see as the love of her life, all around badass, Ranger Manoso. She had moved from a senior residence to a high security building. More and more she woke up to Ranger pausing before he got out of bed for his run to spend time with her. Stephanie wasn't sure why Ranger needed to run. In her opinion, they got plenty of exercise. She and Ranger hadn't talked about moving in together and making it official but they practically lived together now so, why not?

Professionally, Stephanie's thought as she chased the aptly named Stinky Baggio down an alley on Stark Street, she needed a change. A few months before she'd been kidnapped and left helpless. If it hadn't been for Ranger, she'd be in little pieces in the stomachs of varied Atlantic Ocean Sharks. She had relied, in that moment, on imagining what Ranger would do but maybe now she needed a little more practical knowledge about what Ranger would do.

Bounty Hunting was good, it suited her schedule and though everyone gave her a hard time, she knew a number of the skips and could bring them in fairly easily. There were those though, she thought, as Stinky ducked into a doorway. She quickly turned the corner, hit the door face first and fell back on her bottom. She sat for a long moment rubbing her forehead. The door opened.

"That all you got?" Stinky asked. "You're no fun."

"This may be fun for you but its not working out so well for me. You ready?" she asked.

Stephanie stood and pulled the cuffs from her waistband.

"Why not? Are you okay?" Stinky's look was one of pure concern. Stephanie would have been touched if she hadn't been feeling so listless.

"All good," she confirmed.

"Still with the big, bad, boyfriend because you know Raquel…" he began. Stephanie knew all about Raquel. Stinky's inability to leave her alone had landed him with the criminal court date he'd dodged.

"Thanks but I know all about Raquel," she said. Stephanie latched the cuffs around his wrists and turned him around trying to stay outside of the range of his fog of odor.

"You and everyone else. What's a guy got to do to get a date around here?" Stinky mused.

"Take a bath? Stop beating on women?" Stephanie suggested.

"That's the gold. It's my musk. It brings the ladies running," Stinky said, puffing out his chest.

They were running, Stephanie thought. Not the way he wanted them to run but they were running .

She led him out to Stark Street where she had parked the Bronco ten minutes before. All tires gone. Great. People used to take the rims but now they just took everything. She pulled out her phone to dial the station just as Ranger and Tank pulled up to the curb behind her SUV.

"Need some help, Babe?" Ranger asked, smiling broadly. More than you know, Stephanie thought as she loaded Stinky into Ranger's car and smiled slightly at the look that passed over Tank's face as Stinky's odor enveloped the car.


	2. Chapter 2

Stephanie rolled back panting heavily. She took a moment to catch her breath while Ranger took care of things in the bathroom. She opened her eyes as his weight returned to the side of the bed she thought of as "his."

"I've been thinking about something," Stephanie began and then stopped. This was so simple an idea. How would she go about it? Ranger rolled back and rested his arm across her mid-section. She loved the solid feeling of his arm around her and he knew it. Darn him, now her brain was fuzzing over again.

"Yes," Ranger said, his voice deep. Stephanie closed her eyes.

"Could you confine yourself to your side of the bed," Stephanie requested, her voice weak. "I feel like a freaking nympho when you touch me." Ranger's deep chuckle as he rolled further away didn't help matters. Stephanie sat up.

"I want to learn to do what you do," Stephanie said after a moment. Ranger waited silently. "The special ops stuff, the gun stuff. I just felt so helpless, you know that." Stephanie said. Ranger nodded, no explanation needed. They'd talked about her experience in Miami many times. "And today with Stinky. I like what I do but I want to do it better. I want to catch that little jerk someday. Can you help me with that?" Ranger hesitated. He'd offered many times to help her and now when she actually wanted his help he was hesitating.

"Are you sure you want to do it, Babe?" he asked. She nodded. "I can arrange something."

"You can _ARRANGE_ something?" Stephanie said. Ranger held up his hands.

"I have the best in the world on my team. I'll find the perfect match for you," Ranger promised.

"I kind of thought you were the perfect match," Stephanie grumbled. Ranger smilied.

"I am the perfect match in a lot of ways," he said, running his hand down her leg and then back up, she stopped him before he reached a point where her brain would cease to function. Ranger sighed heavily and sat back against the headboard.

"I planned to tell you tomorrow but I'm going to be gone for a while." Ranger said. "I am leaving people here who will help you if you need them."

"How long a while?" Stephanie asked. They'd been together for a few months and she knew that Ranger had to leave on frequent business trips but this was the first time in their short relationship. The idea of not waking up with him left her feeling unsettled and a little empty.

"A few days, a week at most." Ranger said, his tone masking the evasive nature of his reponse.

"Where are you going?" Stephanie asked.

"It's best if you don't know," Ranger said. He turned to look into Stephanie's eyes not attempting to mask the worry he felt.

"Why is it best if I don't know," Stephanie felt the panic welling up inside of her. They didn't know if Collins was dead or not though they'd assumed. Had Ranger heard something? Ranger wrapped his arm around her.

"It's business, Babe." Ranger said. He settled her against his chest but no matter how she tried, she couldn't beat back the panic inside. Something was wrong, she could feel it. It was time to do something about the panic. It was time to know that she could handle whatever came her way.

"I need to learn," she said. Knowing that if Ranger needed help, she was going to be there for him as he'd always been there for her.

"I'll set it up," Ranger promised.


	3. Chapter 3

They woke early the next day, tangled together.

"I need to head out and your trainer is going to be here in a few minutes, Babe." Ranger said. He swung his legs away from Stephanie and stood leaving her feeling very alone.

"Who did you get?" she asked.

"I think you'll be happy," Ranger said evasively and Stephanie knew it was bad. He walked into the bathroom and Stephanie could hear the water running. Already she was feeling the loss and he'd just left the bed. Was this normal? Was this the way she was supposed to feel? She didn't like it at all. Stephanie eased out of bed and pulled on her workout gear. She may not need the exercise she thought, as her aching muscles reminded her of the night with Ranger, but she did need the training. Stephanie steeled herself, whoever would be training her, she'd make it work.

Ranger came out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around his waist and Stephanie fell back to the bed to enjoy the view.

"How long will you be gone again?" she asked.

"Couple of days or maybe a week. I'll call you when I'm back in town." He promised.

"And where are you going?" Stephanie asked. Ranger gifted her with one of his blinding smiles.

"Nice try, Babe, but you know I can't tell you." He said as he pulled his pants on.

"Can't or won't?" she asked.

"A little of both. It's better for you not to know." The chills she felt the night before returned.

"Is Tank going with you?" she asked.

"Not this time, this is one I'm taking on my own but he'll be around if I need him." He sat down next to her and reached for her.

"It's going to be fine and you'll have a great time learning the trade while I'm gone. I'd love to come with you on your first big dollar bounty." He said. Ranger held up his hands. "Just to watch because I know you'll be able to do it." Stephanie smiled but Ranger's warm support couldn't cool her feeling of dread. He tied his shoes just as the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Tank and your trainer, Babe." He said before leaning to kiss her deeply. "I've got to go. I'll be in touch." Stephanie nodded weakly trying to regain a little of the balance he'd thrown off. She followed him to the living room and stood next to him as he opened the door. She stepped around him and smiled broadly at Tank but stopped cold as she recognized the woman next to him.

"Jeanne Ellen?" she asked, turning to Ranger. "JEANNE ELLEN?" Jeanne Ellen Burrows was arguably the baddest bounty hunter Stephanie had ever met next to Ranger but she was also someone of whom Stephanie was fiercely jealous. Her inner Stephanie had gained more confidence in recent weeks but her truer Stephanie felt short and dumpy next to the statuesque and well toned, Jeanne Ellen. Ranger leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Trust me," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her deeply again. "I'll be in touch." Ranger said. He and Tank walked toward the staircase. Stephanie watched him walk away and knew in that moment that she would do what she had to do to achieve her goal and show Ranger, and herself, that she could do it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to Jeanne Ellen. It took all of her strength to smile but she managed it.

"What first?" Stephanie asked. Truly dreading the answer.


	4. Chapter 4

Tank and Ranger walked out in the sunlight, not speaking. Tank had a huge smile on his face.

"I should have stuck around. This is going to fun." He said.

"Let's see if she lets me live when I get back," Ranger said, also smiling.

"You tell her where you're going?" Tank asked.

"You know I didn't. It's best if she doesn't know." Ranger answered.

"She's going to find out," Tank said. They stopped speaking as they got into the SUV. Ranger needed time to think anyway.

"She will. We have other things to work on," Ranger said after a moment.

"Still resisting the idea of moving in together?" Tank asked. He and Ranger had been friends for a long time so he knew if he was intruding, Ranger just wouldn't answer.

"Yeah," Ranger confirmed.

"Resisting the idea more than the reality, it seems. When did you sleep at your apartment last?" Tank pointed out. Ranger shrugged to confirm the point.

"She'll come around. Is it still Morelli?" Tank asked.

"Not so much Morelli. We've talked it and she's talked about it with Carrie," Carrie was the Rangeman psychologist. Sometimes they just needed someone to listen. "I think now it's more about her relationship experience."

"Not so hot?" Tank said, though he knew the answer.

"Never anyone she could count on," Ranger confirmed.

They pulled up to the small private airport.

"She knows she can count on you," Tank assured his friend. "I wish I had the heat you have with her."

"Just don't try to have it with her," Ranger joked. They walked over to the small, private, plane.

"You sure you don't want me to go?" Tank asked.

"No, I'm good." Ranger confirmed. "How hard will picking up a toddler be?"

"I seem to remember talk of the terrible twos. Women are all over about the terrible twos." Tank said.

"Well, then we're good because the kid is 3." Ranger said.

"Keep it safe," Tank said, fist bumping Ranger.

"You know I will," Ranger said climbing into the plane. He settled back into the seat and realized that the fluttering in his stomach indicated that he was more nervous than he'd ever been in his life.


	5. Chapter 5

"You can't think of this as a first, this is a lifestyle change. If you want the kind of training and conditioning I can give you, this is going to be your life," Jeanne Ellen advised. Her smiled was cold. Stephanie suddenly wasn't as sure as she had been. Jeanne Ellen was tall and strong. Even dressed in black, spandex shorts and a black Nike sports bra, she seemed like she could go anywhere. This was who Ranger needed. Not some dumpy woman with frizzy hair. She felt herself wilt a bit and Jeanne Ellen picked up on her mood.

"Let's sit down," she suggested. "Ranger told me why he thought you wanted to do the special ops training. Why don't you tell me?" Even sitting on the edge of the chair, Jeanne Ellen looked ready for action.

"A few months ago…." Stephanie began. Jeanne Ellen stopped her.

"I know all this. Tell me your goal," she said.

"To defend myself and what I love," she said frankly.

"Ranger doesn't need to defend him. Why do you really want to do this?" Jeanne Ellen pushed. Stephanie considered her words and then closed her eyes.

"I felt helpless. I never want to feel helpless again," she said, quietly.

"Everyone feels helpless sometimes. Give me a better reason," Jeanne Ellen snapped. Stephanie stared surprised at Jeanne Ellen.

" I want to be better prepared to do my job and to cope with whatever I might face," Stephanie said.

"Better, but this isn't a job interview. Give me some real emotion," Jeanne Ellen said. Stephanie thought she was giving real emotion.

"You need to have your heart in this. Are you ready to give up those fatty, traditional dinners at mama's house? The fried chicken takeout? The donuts? This is about running every morning and working out every day." Jeanne Ellen said.

"Ranger eats…."Stephanie began.

"But how often? This is his lifestyle. He can have those splurges. You can't. You're addicted. The fat is a drug and you're hooked. You go back and my time is wasted. Tell me I'm not wasting my time." She demanded.

"You're not wasting your time," Stephanie said, her temper close to breaking. How dare this woman treat her like a child.

"You get mad, that's good. You show me I'm wrong because I don't think you can do it." Jeanne Ellen said. "I'll put money on the table right now that you're going to fold after a week. I'll even be gracious and give you today."

"Let's just do this," Stephanie said, standing up.

"Are you sure because we're a team. You're not shaking me until you either give up or get it right." Jeanne Ellen said.

"I'm going to get it right," Stephanie said.

"See that you do that and you might want to change," she advised. Stephanie looked down at her workout clothes. "You don't want to be wearing anything that nice where we're going.

Stephanie headed back to her bedroom more determined than ever to show this bitch that she could take whatever she threw at her.


	6. Chapter 6

Ranger pulled up to the building and closed his eyes as he switched the rental car off and pocketed the key. He settled back and watched for a moment. Why didn't he bring someone with him? Tank? What did he know about children? He had a daughter. He'd married her mother when she got pregnant and now his daughter had a good life with a new father who had adopted her but Ranger had never been what you'd call "hands on." He got out of the car and stretched his back before heading for the Child Services building and pushing from the heat of summer into the cooled building.

He walked over to the desk and consulted the clock behind the receptionist. Right on time. She looked up and, as women do, looked stunned and a bit in awe. Ranger was not a lover of self but a realist and knew the impression he made and frequently used it to his advantage.

"I'm here to see Lindsay Cooper. I have an appointment," he said. The receptionist nodded and then seemed to shake herself out of her trance.

"Yes, okay, one moment. Have a seat," she said in a breath. Ranger walked to the farthest point and the room and stood with his back against the wall to keep a watch on all entrances. Before long a petite, older, woman came through the door leading from the inner offices. She looked around and spotted him, smiling before she walked over.

"Mr. Manoso?" she asked. He nodded. "You'll understand that I need to see some ID. I also need to scan your retina." She said, holding up a handheld device. Ranger's unique imprint was in the Department of Defense classified datatbase. He nodded and leaned forward. The handheld device beeped in a way that sounded positive. Lindsay Cooper nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Manoso. You know the sensitivity of this matter so we can't be too safe." He nodded again.

"Call me Ranger," he said.

"Okay Ranger, follow me." She led him back into fairly standard looking cubicle space and into and area that looked like it contained observation rooms back into a living area. With each new area, she met an increasing number of security requirements. From fingerprints, to finger and eye, to face scanning. Ranger understood the level of security and felt trepidation at the idea that soon it would just be himself and the child.

"The child looks like you," Lindsay Cooper said once they were in the living area. "That will help and to be honest, one of the reasons we chose you for this task. Your reputation alone is impressive but, as you know, in this case we're dealing with some very clever people."

"Who could know that I'm here now," Ranger said.

"They could. We're counting less on your ability to walk out of her an invisible person and more on your ability to turn into one once gone." She said. Ranger nodded.

"I will do everything in my power to carry out the mission," he said.

"Do more," she ordered.

"You can count on me," he said. They walked into the nursery where a male toddler was playing with wooden trains.

"His bags are packed. I would suggest you leave as soon as possible," she said.

"Are they any special instructions? Any allergies?" Ranger asked. Thinking quickly he ran over what other things he should discover but couldn't think of anything else.

"Mr. Manoso. Paulo may look like a toddler but he is a bioweapon. He is a specially engineered human who will one day win our wars with his brothers and sisters but he is not only a test model, he is a child. I don't expect you've had extensive contact with children?" Ranger shook his head to indicate that he hadn't. "Child care is intuitive. Give them what they need and they're happy. They'll let you know what they need." Ranger went down to one knee next to the child. He had curly brown hair, mocha latte skin and dark brown eyes. Except for the curled hair, he did look exactly as Ranger did as a child. Ranger felt a pang of what he'd missed with his own daughter.

"Hello, Paulo," he said his voice calm. The child turned shy and dropped his train to run behind Lindsay Cooper's leg.

"You will go with Mr. Manoso, Paulo, he's going to keep you safe." She said in a tone so gentle that Ranger could hardly believe it was the same woman he'd been speaking with. He looked up at Lindsay Cooper. He'd gotten the brief about Paulo's ability and also about the number of attempts that had been made on in his life, even in the facility in which they were sitting.

"I will keep you safe, Paulo," he promised the little boy. "Now let's get going. You and I are going to have a great adventure together. Would you like that?" Paulo nodded, his index and middle finger lodged in his mouth.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: Happy Memorial Day to my American Readers.**

Stephanie stood at the start of an obstacle course that appeared to be wholly made of mud. In her opinion Jeanne Ellen, who was standing right next to her, was enjoying this far too much.

"So your idea is to kill the competition?" Stephanie asked.

"This is ops training, Babe," she said. Stephanie whipped around to face her enemy.

"Don't call me that!" she snapped.

"Would you prefer 'Cupcake?'" she asked.

"I prefer Stephanie." She said, sharply feeling a pang at the endearment used by her long dead ex-boyfriend. She may have moved on, even before the loss, but she never stopped caring about Joe Morelli as a friend and the reminder of him stung.

"You said that you wanted to do Special Ops training. This is the lightweight stuff." Jeanne Ellen warned. "No one is going to blame you if you quit now."

"You will," Stephanie said.

"Maybe a little. I've done this. This isn't easy but if you want it badly enough…." Jeanne Ellen let the thought trail. Stephanie thought back to the damp basement in Florida and the helpless feeling of waiting for Ranger to arrive knowing that he'd be risking his life for her.

"I want it," she said coldly.

"That's great, "Jeanne Ellen said, "I almost believed you."

"Just start the clock," Stephanie said. Jeanne Ellen lifted the stopwatch.

"Go!" she said. Stephanie made it easily through the tires and then fell to crawl on her belly through the mud, under a net. She stood to find a dreaded 8 ft wall made of wood in front of her.

"Use the rope!" Jeanne Ellen called. "You're doing great!"

Stephanie grabbed the knotted rope hanging from the wall, braced her feet and felt the weight of her body pulling her down. She fell flat on her back in the mud sending pain radiating from her bottom up her back. Not even a minute in and she was exhausted and covered in mud. She lay on the ground winded for a moment before trying again with the same result. On the fourth try, she started to make her way up the wall and by the 10th she had hope of making it to the top.

"Brace yourself! Walk up the wall! Show me you can do it!" Jeanne Ellen cheered. Stephanie sweated and grunted as she used the rope to brace herself and climbed the wall. When she reached the top she felt a rush of pride and dizziness before dropping to the other side. She raced quickly through the other obstacles before reaching a climbing rope. She'd done the others, she could do this one, right? When she reached the top of the rope and grabbed the zipline, her hands were raw and bloody but the rush of pride as she descended to the ground overwhelmed her and pushed any pain she felt away. She started to cry. Jeanne Ellen crouched next to her, hugging the muddy, sweaty and bloody women and chanted, "You did it. You showed me. You did it." Jeanne Ellen handed Stephanie a water bottle and she gulped the contents greedily before falling back into the dirt.

"You did it and in only 90 minutes," Jeanne Ellen said. "Let's go again and try to get that down to 30." Stephanie did not have the energy to audibly groan but she maintained that high that came from the knowledge that she did it and if she had to do it again, that's what she'd do.

Jeanne Ellen smiled down at the exhausted woman knowingly; she always knew that all Stephanie needed was a little motivation. She'd have this recruit in shape in no time. She could tell by the goofy grin on Stephanie's face that her adrenalin was high and she'd get hooked on that feeling.

"Come on, Stephanie," she said, nudging her lightly with her foot. "We can get through this two, maybe even three, more times before the sun goes down. Let's get to work."


	8. Chapter 8

Lindsay Cooper led them to bay where Ranger's vehicle awaited him. He wasn't worried about anything someone who didn't have Paulo's best interest at heart might have done because he had asked his oldest and most trusted friend to arrange a vehicle for him at a secure location. He watched as Lindsay loaded Paulo into the car seat. She handed Ranger the file.

"Read the information carefully. We've had to keep some things from you, but you'll understand once you've read through. When the threat is neutralized, we'll send word," she said. "You're only job is to keep this child alive." Ranger nodded. He looked back at Paulo before sliding into the driver's seat.

"All contact will go through my office," Ranger instructed. "You have the secure line?" Lindsay nodded. He closed the door and once the garage door was high enough, he pulled out. Ranger had never felt that silence was uncomfortable before but in the vehicle, with a toddler, he felt like he should be saying something. He turned to look at the child who had a wooden train in his lap and his fingers in his mouth.

"You like trains, huh?" Ranger said. Paulo nodded and held his train up. "Cool," Ranger said. He settled back in his seat and drove silently for a few miles before pulling off of the road into a busy department store parking lot. The more people around, the easier they could get lost in the crowd.

"Time to go, Paulo," he said to the child. Ranger got out of the car and unhooked the toddler before lifting him out. "We're going to leave all of your stuff here except the train and I'm going to wave this at you," he held up a handheld device used to detect electronic bugs, "It won't hurt. It may beep. Do you want to hear the beep?" Ranger asked. Paulo nodded so Ranger waved his hand under the car and just as he thought, a long, high pitched, beeping noise resulted. Paulo laughed in delight so Ranger waved the device over the child and then the train. The detector went off so Ranger took the train and put it to aside scanning Paulo again. The detector was silent. Ranger shrugged. Made sense to monitor the child by bugging his favorite toy. Ranger knew that sort of surveillance would be counterproductive to his goal. What the base knew, the people trying to kill Paulo would know. Ranger was not usually one to shy away from the fight but his fights also rarely involved children let alone one as small as Paulo.

Ranger turned the train over and inspected the base. He pulled apart the connection between the two cars and found the bug lodged at the head of a nail. Amateurs. Ranger retrieved a small screwdriver from his own bag. Paulo made a small sound of protest when it looked like Ranger might hurt the toy.

"It's okay," he assured the child. "I just have to give your train a shot so that it doesn't get sick where we're going." He thought that Paulo would understand getting shot from the many tests run on him and he seemed to as he settled immediately and just watched the train in Ranger's hands. Ranger poked the bug until it splintered into several pieces and fell out of the toy like powder. He reconnected the train and gave it back to the boy who stroked his toy and cooed at it as though it had been through something terrible. They walked toward the store and sat on a bench against the wall. They only had a few minutes to wait before Bobby, one of Ranger's employees, pulled up in a vehicle that he'd driven from their own garage in Trenton.

"No car seat?" Bobby said, as a greeting to his boss.

"I think we'll leave this one. Did you buy one?" Ranger said sure that his medic had followed his instructions.

"Safety first," Bobby confirmed. "I have the house set and a second one in case that one doesn't work out. Hop in." Ranger locked Paulo into the seat as he'd seen Lindsay Cooper do not long before and then slid in the front next to Bobby.

"Aren't you going to sit in the back with the kid?" Bobby asked.

"No, why would I?" Ranger questioned.

"I don't know, you see people do it all the time. I think it's so he doesn't choke," Bobby said. Ranger glanced back at the child.

"How likely is that to happen?" Ranger asked glancing back at the boy suspiciously.

"I don't know, I don't have kids." Bobby said.

"You do have medical training," Ranger observed.

"The kid gets a bullet wound, I'm on game. All the other stuff, that's gonna be you." Bobby said.

"Let's just make sure you don't have to patch up any bullet wounds," Ranger said dryly. "You hear from Tank?" he asked, rapidly changing the subject

"He observed, just like you told him to do," Bobby confirmed.

"And?" Ranger asked.

"And there's a bet going on that you get cut off for the rest of the year. Jeanne Ellen was a good joke to play on Stephanie," Bobby said, laughing.

"Charming," Ranger said, "But how did she do?"

"She made it through. Her time was slow but she kept going. Did it twice," Bobby said.

"Really? " Ranger said proudly. He knew Stephanie could do it. "Get Tank to set up a massage for her at the spa. You know who to get?" he asked. Bobby nodded. Ranger smiled broadly, he knew she'd do it and now it was down to Jeanne Ellen to get her to stick with it.


	9. Chapter 9

Stephanie fell into bed. She hadn't had the energy to stand in the shower so sat in the bathtub as the water poured down on her. Ranger had been gone a day and it felt like a year. She smiled at the memory of curling up next to him after some of her worst days with skips and of how he curled around her, so gentle and warm. Stephanie frowned realizing that tonight she would be alone. Mentally she willed Ranger back and realistically she knew there was a job to be done. She indulged in a mental hissy fit at whatever had come between herself and Ranger.

Standing, she dried her body gingerly and heard her mobile phone ring. Stephanie cursed sharply wishing she had taken the phone with her when she went into the bathroom and limped slowly toward the sound. She picked the phone up hoping to hear Ranger's voice.

"Hello?" she said.

"Stephanie, this is your mother." Helen Plum said, as she normally did.

"I know who you are, Mom." She limped over to the bed. Groaning audibly as she sat down.

"What's wrong with you?" her mother asked.

"I worked out a little hard today," Stephanie said.

"If this is about sex…." Her mom said, Stephanie cut her off.

"It's not. I'm trying to get into shape."

"Really?" Helen said doubtfully. "I made a ham, honey glazed, do you want to come over?"

"Not tonight," Stephanie said. She hadn't thought about how her mother would react to her life change and now she was worried.

"I can have Dad bring you some," she offered.

"No, thanks. I already ate," she groaned again a little too audibly.

"Are you okay? If you're sick you know the cure? Good home cooked food!" Helen pressed.

"No, really, Mom. I'm fine. I'll see you soon. Love you." Stephanie hung up the phone. The magnitude of what she had done hit her. She had, for the first time ever, turned down one of her mother's artery clogging, home cooked, feasts. Stephanie sat back a little stunned at herself. Was this a step? She had a sudden, crazy, urge to call Jeanne Ellen and toss it in her face. Take that, Exercise Barbie! Stephanie laughed and then gasped in pain. The phone rang again.

"Hello?" Stephanie said.

"Hey, Babe," Ranger said. His warm, deep, voice flowed over her like melted butter.

"Hi, Ranger," she answered.

"You have fun today?" he asked.

"Not a bit. How is your business trip going?" she asked.

"As well as can be expected," he answered. "You understand I can't discuss it over the phone."

"Or in bed," she teased.

"If we were in bed together right now, we wouldn't be talking," he said in something approaching a growl.

"Oh, yeah," she sighed.

"I miss you," he said, suddenly.

"I miss you too," she said.

"I wish you were here," he said.

"Tell me where you are and I'll be there."

"Nice try," Ranger said. Stephanie felt a warm rush at the familiar teasing.

"I heard about today," he said, changing the subject.

"Did you?"

"I'm so proud of you," he said. Stephanie smiled. She was pretty proud of herself as well.

"How much longer will you be away?" she asked, shifting to his side of the bed and curling her arm around his pillow. She inhaled the scent of his Bulgari left from that morning.

"Hopefully not long but this might go on for a while," he said, sadness in his voice.

"Whatever it is, you're the best person for the job so I know if anyone can wrap it up, you can." Stephanie said.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"You're always the best person for the job," she said. He whispered something in Spanish and Stephanie melted again.


	10. Chapter 10

The house that Bobby found was a family home and very suitable for a child. There were five rooms but as far as Ranger was concerned, they'd just use the large, open plan, kitchen, family room. There was a crib against one wall with a cot next to the bed for Bobby while Ranger would take the recliner. Not a problem for Ranger as, in op mode, he seldom slept.

He read through the paperwork that Lindsay Cooper had given him. The child's medical records were startling to Ranger as he'd heard that children were frequently ill. Paulo had never had as much as the sniffles. He looked up at the toddler who was playing with his train while making nonsense noises. Ranger smiled slightly and then caught himself. He looked over at Bobby who was sitting in front of a bank of monitors showing the varied outdoor and indoor cams they'd set around the house.

"Paulo has never been sick," Ranger said. Bobby looked back at his boss and raised a brow in surprise.

"She did say that the babies were specially engineered. Makes sense that they'd take special precautions. You don't want an weapon of mass destruction taking a day off." Bobby said. Ranger nodded and looked back at the papers. He shifted through the varied tests they'd done to determine the extra abilities that the child would have as an adult. Strength and stamina were top of the list. Most of the comments involved potential. As Ranger looked over the comments he could appreciate the use Paulo would be but couldn't help but feel a sliver of dread for the toddler. He turned the page and began to read just as Bobby turned sharply from the computer.

"Heads up, Boss, we've got company. Two to the west and heavily armed." Bobby said. Ranger picked up his gun. "Hold up! I've got two more on the south and one on the East." Ranger weighed his options. If they stood their ground there was a good chance that they wouldn't be able to properly protect Paulo but he couldn't pass the chance to gather some intel. Ranger checked the monitors to make sure he was clear and slid out of the hidden door that one of the Rangeman contractors had installed off of the family room. He cut around the east side of the house.

"Kill everyone but the child! We need the child alive!" He watched the assailant in full black gear speak into a small Bluetooth in a low voice. Ranger slipped behind the man and shot him in the back of the head with his silenced pistol and grabbed the Bluetooth as he fell and putting it in his own ear. He pulled the body into the bushes next to the house.

"Got one of them," he said, attempting to mimic the man he'd shot. "Circle north." He slipped over to a tree and rapidly ascended it. He waited for the control to ask which one he'd gotten but no one did. Clearly this was a raid simply about the child. The assailants followed his instructions as he saw two of them heading in his direction. The most important thing to Ranger was to know if the people looking for the child knew him and as he studied the faces of the men headed in his direction, he didn't recognize them just as he hadn't recognized the man he'd shot. They passed by him quickly and he slid down the tree and edged around. Two more. Neither he recognized. He may a split decision and cautiously headed for Bobby.

"They've moved," someone whispered. They're in the garage. Orders?"

"Hold. They'll come out. Wait for that moment," Ranger said.

"Radio silence. That's not Tom." A voice barked. Ranger had the information he needed so slipped back through the secret door and into the garage. He slid into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. Bobby waited for orders. Ranger listened carefully for a few moments but his Bluetooth was silent. He pulled it out of his ear, wiped it off and crushed it in his hand. Bobby handed him a plastic bag.

"Tracker?" Bobby asked.

"I don't think so but you know technology. We'll stop and toss it. We're going to be hit hard when we leave. Just keep driving." Ranger instructed.

"Second safe house?" Bobby asked. Ranger hesitated and then shook his head.

"Home," he said. "They have numbers and we need numbers and the best way to keep this kid safe will be to take him to Trenton." Bobby glanced back at the child and then at Ranger.

"Stephanie?" Bobby asked.

"What about her?" Ranger asked.

"I was there for your eye test, Ranger, I think you know what I'm saying." Ranger considered Bobby's words before looking back at the toddler. He really did look a lot like Ranger.

"Get her to the apartment so that she's there when we arrive. That gives Tank six hours to explain the op to her. I'd feel better if we had her close with an op of this magnitude. We all have to stick close until this is done." He said.

They heard the door crash open on the other side of the house and Ranger nodded. Bobby accelerated slamming right through the garage door. They'd pay for it but the element of surprise was priceless. Ranger glanced at the hood impressed that the vehicle had only sustained a few scratches. He raised an eyebrow.

"Military grade, best way to go every time." Bobby quipped. He whipped around the corner. A black Escalade was in hot pursuit. Bobby hit the right turn signal and made a quick left.

"I learned that on television," he explained. His evasive maneuver didn't work as their tail stayed right behind them. A bullet pinged off the back of the SUV.

"Well, that's going to attract police attention," Bobby said dryly. Ranger checked his weapon. Normally he'd take evasive action but he thought it best, in this instance, to simply slip away from them. Bobby took another corner on two wheels and Ranger looked back at Paulo again who was cooing happily to his train. His heart skipped a small beat at the tiny boy who would grow up to be weapon. Seemed a cruel fate for any child.


End file.
